Siege of Winchester (1642)

The Siege of Winchester (July 1642) was the first siege action of the First English Civil War. A Parliamentarian army under the command of Arthur Haselrig succeeded in capturing the city of Winchester in Hampshire from the Royalists, weakening the Royalist control over southern England.

The Parliamentarian army of Arthur Haselrig advanced on the city of Winchester at the start of the war, aiming to conquer the isolated Royalist strongholds in southern England. The Parliamentarians easily breached the wooden defenses of Winchester with their artillery, and their artillery fired on the Royalist soldiers through the breaches, further weakening the defenses. The Parliamentarians succeeded in overwhelming the numerically-superior garrison, scoring their first victory. The city was peacefully occupied, as it welcomed the Parliamentarians in without opposition. The capture of Winchester was the first of many battles fought in southern England during the English Civil War.